For some time governments have been funding road maintenance and roadway projects at least in part using excise taxes assessed on fuel (e.g. gasoline). Typically there is a per gallon tax on fuel that is paid by vehicle operators. The tax includes national, state, and often municipal assessments. The taxes are collected upon sale and paid to the respective governmental entities. The revenue is then used to fund various projects relating to vehicular travel on public roadways.
Vehicle manufacturers have been improving the efficiency of vehicles to increase their mileage, typically expressed in miles per gallon in the U.S. Conventional engines have been improved, and hybrid electric vehicles are increasingly common. In addition, there are now a significant number of electric-only vehicles, which use no petroleum fuel, being sold. As a result of less fuel being bought, the excise tax revenues are insufficient to continue funding road projects and maintenance. Accordingly, governments are looking for alternative means of raising revenue.
One alternative that governments, including many state governments, are considering is a road use charge, which assesses a fee based on the distance driven, rather than on the amount of fuel purchased. These proposals call for the installation of a “black box” into a vehicle that uses global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to determine how far vehicle has been driven. This proposal has been met with concerns over privacy, however. Many people do not feel comfortable with the notion of being “tracked” by the government.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for determining a road usage charge that addresses privacy concerns.
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The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.